Coaching the little ones can be a very rewarding experience for both you and your child. Please understand that you DO NOT need to have been a professional soccer player at some point in your life to be a great rec soccer coach and role model to the children on your team. ASA makes every effort to provide you with coaching plans and activities so that all players are having fun and learning to be comfortable in game situations.

Each year, coaches must "offer"/volunteer to coach in our registration database when registering their child to play, even if you have coached your child's team in the past. This allows ASA to see who is offering to coach or assistant coach for each age group and assign players accordingly. If you are selected to become a coach for your child's team, you will be contacted by the respective age group coordinator or ASA, who will then start assigning players to your team. Players are then grouped based on location and ACPS school which is closest to their residence. One of the upsides to coaching a recreational league team is that the head coach gets to determine practice time and location, within reason and availability. Age groups PreK through Fourth Grade usually practice about once per week. It is up to the coach to determine if they would like to add another practice during the week as the players get older. We only ask that coaches do NOT schedule practice during ASA official supplemental training programs (usually held once per week for those age groups

Coaches Meeting

ASA has a rec league coaches meeting each year, about one week from the start of Saturday games. At this point, rosters will be finalized and coaches are asked to reserve a field for practice. Then, coaches should reach out to all players on roster, by phone or email, so that the team can practice one time before the first weekend of games.

The forms listed on the left are required forms that must be completed by each coach. The coach must fill out (completely) the Kid Safe form so that ASA may run a background check through VYSA for child safety purposes. All coaches must also sign the Coaches Code of Conduct form. All of this must be done before the first game and should be ready to hand in at the coaches meeting.

Coaches Clinic

ASA will hold a coaches clinic each year to help coaches learn how to coach their teams effectively. The clinic is broken down by age group so that each group is specifically taugh relevant to the teams being coached by that group. Information for this clinic will be sent out prior to the coaches meeting. Any coaching equipment that is available will be distributed at this meeting. Coaches are not required to purchase equipment additional to what we can give, but are welcome to if they wish. We have Dick's Sporting Goods coupons each year as well to help with the costs.